I think it's a fascinating question what is the relation of Kafka's spirituality to Christianity. He once called Christ "an infinite abyss of light" -- one of the most (if not the most) poetic encomium ever rendered. Yet he clearly dithered greatly about any belief in much of anything, let alone metaphysical hope -- other than in the dogged "indestructible" which is the core and pith of his survivalist outlook. I see Kafka as the Doubting Thomas in extremis -- a modern of supreme existential integrity who refutes in the very difficulty of his person any easy recourse to metaphysics, going deeper than the need in some sense. I do not think Christianity (nor Judaism) has a very good answer to Kafka, except that his agon is not unlike Job's with Yahweh -- but far more extreme in its fundamental doubt. He transcends both. (See his short story on Abraham.) Kafka is perhaps first a theologian...
My thoughts on The Castle is that it’s allegorical of the deferment of responsibility to bureaucracy. Antithetical to responsibility of the individual. Worshipping an Administrative God who themselves just want the power without the responsibility. A riff on the Tower of Babel.
May your response to Kafka breathe life into the many "K"s of today so their stories can have a different ending. Well done. Hope you make and share more of these. TY!
Thank you, very interesting and insightful
I think it's a fascinating question what is the relation of Kafka's spirituality to Christianity.
He once called Christ "an infinite abyss of light" -- one of the most (if not the most) poetic encomium ever rendered. Yet he clearly dithered greatly about any belief in much of anything, let alone metaphysical hope -- other than in the dogged "indestructible" which is the core and pith of his survivalist outlook.
I see Kafka as the Doubting Thomas in extremis -- a modern of supreme existential integrity who refutes in the very difficulty of his person any easy recourse to metaphysics, going deeper than the need in some sense.
I do not think Christianity (nor Judaism) has a very good answer to Kafka, except that his agon is not unlike Job's with Yahweh -- but far more extreme in its fundamental doubt. He transcends both. (See his short story on Abraham.)
Kafka is perhaps first a theologian...
My thoughts on The Castle is that it’s allegorical of the deferment of responsibility to bureaucracy. Antithetical to responsibility of the individual. Worshipping an Administrative God who themselves just want the power without the responsibility. A riff on the Tower of Babel.
Ohh wow!!
great analysis!
May your response to Kafka breathe life into the many "K"s of today so their stories can have a different ending.
Well done. Hope you make and share more of these. TY!
The "Kafka haircut" 🤣